As Election Day nears, we and local election authorities are fielding many questions regarding voting by mail. On the assumption that you probably are hearing these questions from your readers, viewers and listeners, I wanted to provide you with the FAQ document from our website. It addresses the questions we’ve heard most often and contains background on voting by mail in general.
As in past elections, the most frequently asked question pertains to voters who request a mail ballot but then decide they’re rather vote in person.
Also attached are spreadsheets showing the early voting and vote-by-mail numbers as of today and those for Nov. 18, 2016, which also was three weeks before the election. This year, we have recorded more than double the number of early votes cast three weeks before the 2016 election – 177,652 to 87,777. (Please note that you will need to add columns F and G to get early vote totals. “Grace” refers to votes cast after Oct. 6 by voters registering to vote during grace period registration, which begins 27 days before an election. Those who register in person during the grace period must vote at the time of registration.)
The 2.15 million vote-by-mail applications for 2020 is more than eight times the number of applications at this time in the 2016 election cycle.
I also want to remind you of some important dates and deadlines for your election coverage. While Illinois law allows a voter to request a vote-by-mail ballot through Oct. 29, we are strongly encouraging those who wish to vote by mail to submit their application much earlier – preferably by Oct. 15. Details are explained the FAQ.
Also, while we like to point out that voter registration in Illinois never closes before the polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day, online voter registration closes at the end of the day Oct. 18. This week is a good time to remind your readers, viewers and listeners of that deadline, after which they can still register to vote at all early voting locations and at their polling place on Election Day.
Statement by Good Government Groups Calling for the Immediate Release of the Report of the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform
We are a group of nonpartisan organizations concerned with good governance in Illinois. We welcome the recent statement from Senate President Don Harmon’s office suggesting that ethics reform will be a priority in the upcoming November veto session. However, we are extremely concerned that despite the session’s rapid approach, the public still has not seen the report of the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform.
The public deserves to see what the legislature is going to consider in November with enough time to respond. Yet in mid-October, just a few weeks before session is scheduled to start, we still have no idea what the Commission will recommend.
The Commission was supposed to release its report on March 31. While some delay is understandable in light of the emergence of the COVID-19 epidemic, it has now been more than six months. This was more than enough time for the Commission to issue its report, or, if more meetings were necessary, to meet remotely or in person with full public participation.
We welcome ethics reform, but only if it’s done right. This rushed, opaque process is wrong. With the litany of corruption scandals Illinoisans have endured, they deserve a transparent process that will produce real, meaningful results. Anything less will further increase cynicism about our legislature at a time when trust in Illinois’ government is already lowest in the nation.
We call on the Joint Ethics Commission’s chairs to release the Commission report immediately.
Signed,
The Better Government Association (BGA)
Change Illinois
Common Cause Illinois
Reform for Illinois
I asked if there was even a report to release…
In late August they said it would be released “in the coming weeks.”
* So, I reached out to a commission member, Sen. Cristina Castro…
The committee hasn’t met. They’d have to meet first to review a report. In the meantime, I’m not only working on finding solutions to get my constituents the help they need during this pandemic, but also talking with my colleagues to gauge what middle ground we can find to enact longterm solutions. There are a lot of the same ideas out there with small differences which mean a lot to some and not much to others. We have to find areas to compromise. That takes time.
Brian Gaines, a political science professor at the University of Illinois, made a prediction just after the 2018 elections: If the local congressman, Rep. Rodney Davis, could survive that year’s Democratic wave, then the Republican would be safe through 2020.
Now Gaines has lost confidence in his prognosis.
“I still think that’s true, but I’m a little more inclined to think he could lose this election,” said Gaines, a professor at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the university, who recently ventured out of Urbana-Champaign and into the district’s more rural parts.
“I was surprised how few Trump signs I saw,” he said.
*facepalm*
* Meanwhile…
Lobbyist-turned-politician Betsy Dirksen Londrigan used to raise money for Mike Madigan and his cronies.
Now, they’re bankrolling her campaign to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Today the NRCC launched a new ad in IL-13 reminding folks Betsy and Springfield corruption go hand in hand.
* My own prediction: If Congressman Davis holds on this year, it’ll be at least partially because of the late “Madigan” attacks on Dirksen Londrigan that have become ubiquitous in the district’s media markets. This race will show us which is more powerful: Significant Trump headwinds (as defined by actual data and bolstered by the Democrats’ healthcare argument) or the Illinois House Speaker, who polls worse than Trump but isn’t running the national government.
Forget about 2018, forget about non-existent yard signs that don’t vote anyway. Focus on what’s happening in the here and now.
John A. Logan College abruptly canceled all planned diversity activities last week pending a review of their content. In doing so, officials cited concerns the college could lose millions of dollars in federal funding if they violate President Donald Trump’s Sept. 22 executive order prohibiting workforce diversity trainings he considers “offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating.”
Though college officials say they will reinstate events once compliance can be assured, the decision reflects a broader concern. Diversity experts said Trump’s executive order may have a chilling effect on diversity-related training and programs at colleges and universities in a time of national reckoning over race relations in America. […]
John A. Logan College President Ron House said the decision to suspend campus diversity activities affected two planned events: a talk by a Southern Illinois University professor as part of National Hispanic Heritage Month activities and a forum geared toward youth about their rights and responsibilities during a police traffic stop.
“The nature of the topics of what we’re doing are perfectly OK. We’ve got to take a look at how the topic is going to be presented, and that’s the crux of it and we’re trying to figure that out,” House said. House said the program content would be amended, if necessary, to comply with the order and rescheduled, though he was unable to say when that would happen.
Organizers of the police-related forum have already moved it off campus, and Roberto Barrios, the SIU professor scheduled to speak Oct. 12, said he is alarmed by the college’s decision and would only be interested in rescheduling if all diversity activities are reinstated immediately and the college president apologies.
According to House, the decision was prompted by a letter from Terrance Bond, vice president of the Illinois Community College Diversity Commission, in which Bond wrote that community colleges – federal grant recipients – may be affected by the order. Thus, ignoring the order was not an option.
“We get several million dollars in federal money here that could be jeopardized if we don’t,” House said.
Roberto Barrios, a professor at Southern Illinois University, had planned to give a talk at John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill., on Monday in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The program included discussions of Hispanic identity as well as Mr. Barrios’s own story as an immigrant from Guatemala. The talk was canceled for fear of the executive order, less than two weeks before it was scheduled, he said.
“To me, it is the absolute obligation of institutions of higher education to become ethical beacons for the nation,” Mr. Barrios said. “We should not kneel before executive orders that seek to politicize education.”
Ron House, the president of John A. Logan College, did not respond to a request for comment.
House has promised that the delayed events will be reinstated once the college clears them for compliance, but Barrios said he wouldn’t return unless he got an apology and an assurance that all diversity efforts were immediately back on. “My talk was canceled without anyone consulting me about the contents,” he said. “They in no way violated the executive order.”
The title of Barrios’s virtual presentation was “Reflections on Hispanic and Latinx Identity in a Time of Upheaval,” and it was in commemoration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed September 15 to October 15.
* I asked the Pritzker administration for a response…
Despite what Donald Trump says, structural racism is real. Diversity and inclusion training is an important component of creating an environment that is welcoming for all, while learning to understand the role each of us plays in making the world a more just and equitable place.
The Governor’s Office recently participated in diversity and inclusion training and will continue to do so. The Governor would urge all workplaces in Illinois to do the same. Trump’s empty threats shouldn’t hold us back from working to create a better Illinois.
* Related…
* State Senate Majority Leader Lightford to discuss career, state issues: Illinois State Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford, the first Black woman to serve as the state’s Senate Majority Leader, will discuss a variety of topics including her career and next month’s elections during a virtual conversation next week hosted by Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.
* Black Caucus highlights racial health disparities in Illinois: According to Lightford, Black Illinoisans are 3.4 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than white Illinoisans as the pandemic has exposed and exacerbated long-existing racial health disparities.
* The state’s positivity rate is up more than 10 percent in recent days. Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,851 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 29 additional confirmed deaths.
“More than 9,000 Illinoisans — our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, family, friends, and neighbors — have had their lives cut short by COVID-19, leaving tens of thousands more to grieve loved ones lost too soon,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “As we pause today to mourn these individual and collective losses, may we find strength in the tools we have to protect our communities: wearing a mask, watching our distance, and respecting public health and each other. My heart breaks for all those who have lost a loved one in this battle we never asked to fight – may their memories be for a blessing.”
“After 9 months of battling this virus and hearing the updates each day, many of us forget that the hospitalizations and deaths are more than just numbers,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “They are our family, friends, and loved ones who have been directly impacted by COVID-19, which continues to spread. You can help slow the spread and reduce the number of people who become sick with COVID-19 by wearing your mask, washing your hands, and watching your distance.”
Bond County: 1 male 70s
Clay County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
Cook County: 1 female 40s, 1 female 60s, 4 males 60s, 2 females 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s
DeWitt County: 1 male 70s
DuPage County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
Fayette County: 1 female 90s
Lake County: 1 female 50s
McLean County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 90s
St. Clair County: 1 female 60s, 2 males 80s
Warren County: 1 male 80s
Will County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 324,743 cases, including 9,026 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 6 – October 12 is 4.5%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 55,993 specimens for a total of 6,411,254. As of last night, 1,848 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 406 patients were in the ICU and 160 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH is now reporting separately both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website. Reporting probable cases will help show the potential burden of COVID-19 illness and efficacy of population-based non-pharmaceutical interventions. IDPH will update these data once a week.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,742 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 13 additional confirmed deaths.
Clay County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 100+
Cook County: 1 female 50s, 2 males 60s, 1 female 70s
Douglas County: 1 male 80s
Fayette County: 1 male 70s
Monroe County: 1 female 80s
Peoria County: 1 male 70s
Richland County: 1 male 80s
Rock Island County: 1 female 60s
Will County: 1 male 70s,
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 321,892 cases, including 8,997 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 5 – October 11 is 4.3%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 47,579 specimens for a total of 6,355,261. As of last night, 1,764 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 377 patients were in the ICU and 153 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,727 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 9 additional confirmed deaths.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 319,150 cases, including 8,984 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 4 – October 10 is 4.2%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 64,047 specimens for a total of 6,307,682. As of last night, 1,776 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 388 patients were in the ICU and 159 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,905 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 31 additional confirmed deaths.
Christian County: 1 male 70s
Cook County: 1 female 40s, 2 males 40s, 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
DuPage County: 1 female 70s
Fayette County: 2 males 70s
Jefferson County: 1 female 70s
Jersey County: 1 female 80s
Kane County: 1 male 60s
Knox County: 1 male 80s
Lake County: 1 female 50s, 2 females 90s
LaSalle County: 1 male 80s
Marion County: 1 female 80s
Monroe County: 1 male 80s
Richland County: 1 male 90s
Rock Island County: 1 female 90s
Tazewell County: 1 female 80s
Union County: 1 male 70s
Will County: 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
Winnebago County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 316,423 cases, including 8,975 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 3 – October 9 is 4.0%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 66,256 specimens for a total of 6,243,635. As of last night, 1,807 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 406 patients were in the ICU and 166 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
* Zorn takes a look at the constitutional amendment passage requirement of 60 percent of those voting on the measure or over 50 percent of all those voting in the election…
The either/or requirement makes interpreting the results feel like one of those vexatious story problems from junior high math. If 6 million people go to the polls, and half a million of them leave the referendum question blank on their ballots, what share of the yes/no votes needs to be “yes” for the amendment to pass?
The answer is 54.5% because the “majority of all votes cast” requirement would be achieved first with 3,000,001 votes, even though it is a lot lower than the three-fifths (60%) of yes/no votes cast — the other path to passage.
And, not uncoincidentally for the purposes of this column, it is approximately the percentage of the vote that Gov. J.B. Pritzker received when he beat incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner in the 2018 general election in a campaign marked by his strong support of switching to a graduated-rate system.
The basic idea behind this unusually convoluted requirement is that the more the public is engaged with a referendum question, the more the constitution wants to honor the principle of majority rule. But the more the public is tuned out — doesn’t care or doesn’t feel informed enough to vote either way — the more the constitution wants to raise the standard for passage so that reforms that are obscure, complicated or actually unpopular don’t slip in under the radar.
Includes $500K from Jennifer Pritzker, cousin to the governor A-1: $510,000.00 Coalition To Stop The Proposed Tax Hike Amendmenthttps://t.co/ZT4erQmwbL
Illinois voters will decide next month whether to enact a progressive income tax, paving the way for a new top rate of 7.99%. In addition to the direct damage higher rates would inflict on bottom lines, voters should consider the high-tax neighborhood they’d be moving to.
The Tax Foundation ranks states by tax competitiveness, and its latest analysis is bad news for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other progressive-tax backers. The Prairie State currently ranks 36th worst in overall tax burden because its flat individual rate of 4.95% offsets very high property and other taxes. (See the nearby table.)
But its proposed slate of new individual income tax rates, along with a corporate tax hike tied to the same ballot measure, would drop the state’s rank overall to 47th. That would move Illinois into Dante’s ninth ring of tax hell, ahead of only New Jersey, New York and California.
* And it’s little surprise that the Sun-Times editorial board is for it…
Millionaires and billionaires don’t like paying higher taxes any more than the rest of us, though they are in a much better position to do so. It’s in their bald self-interest to kill the Fair Tax proposal, meaning Illinois would remain stuck with its regressive flat tax — no matter what harm is done, down the road, to middle-class and low-wage earners.
And you can count on that: If Illinois does not approve a graduated income tax, the likelihood that ordinary working people will have to pay higher taxes will only grow.
The states’ finances are in crisis and additional revenue is necessary. Cutting expenses alone won’t do the trick. If that additional tax revenue is not paid by the very wealthiest taxpayers, as set out in the Fair Tax plan, it will be paid by everybody else — every carpenter, hair stylist, accountant and store clerk.
But what the fate of Pritzker’s so-called Fair Tax will mean for Chicago’s financial future is less clear cut. The potential for extra revenues at the state level doesn’t make a significant dent in the city deficit, and isn’t a silver bullet for fully funding items Lightfoot campaigned on last year.
The mayor has been far less vocal than the governor about where she stands on the graduated income tax, endorsing it when prompted, but not leading on the issue.
“I’m a for,” Lightfoot told reporters last week when asked about her position on the tax change. “I’ve been fortunate enough in my life to make a substantial amount over time. And I think people recognize the need for everyone to pay their fair share, but I think we have to do it in an equitable way and I think that’s what the Fair Tax, as it’s known, seeks to accomplish.” […]
But State Sen. Rob Martwick (D-Chicago), who championed a progressive tax for years and sponsored the graduated tax amendment in 2019, was not shy about his belief that the city’s finances would be devastated without voter approval of the tax, as it would “stabiliz[e] the state revenues that flow through to the city.”
“As bad as the state’s budget is, the city’s is immeasurably worse,” Martwick said. “If [the graduated income tax amendment] doesn’t pass, it could be catastrophic all around, especially for the City of Chicago.”
There are 2 million Illinoisans of retirement age, and currently the state does not tax their retirement income. But there is significant reason to believe the “fair tax” amendment to the Illinois Constitution would bring retirement taxes if passed.
And then there might be 10,577 fewer of those seniors in Illinois if its experience with a progressive tax matches Connecticut’s.
I love how they project down to the person. You can pretty much figure a projection is phony when you see that.
Governor J.B. Pritzker is assuring voters that a proposed graduated income tax will not impact their retirement income. Pritzker said late last week that opponents of the “fair tax” are planning to tax retirement income. Republican opponents say Pritzker’s statement isn’t true. Republican lawmaker Tim Butler says that it is unlikely that legislation will be proposed to change rules on taxing retirement income, whether the graduated income tax passes or not.
…Adding… Rep. Butler says he doesn’t know where WJOL got that info and pointed to this story…
Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, opposes the proposed tax amendment.
“From the House Republican perspective, we in no way support taxing retirement income,” Butler said. “I don’t know where the governor comes up with that statement.”
Redfield said whether this tax is passed or not, the legislature has always had the power to tax retirement income, but he said he thinks it’s unlikely that there will be a legislation change to that.
“What stops from taxing retirees today is that we have a flat tax in Illinois. If we tax one retiree, we have to tax all retirees,” Butler said. “That’s the firewall against raising taxes.”
A previous version of this story attributed comments to lawmaker Tim Butler that were not accurate. We regret the error.
*** UPDATE 1 *** I told you last week that a judge had denied IPI’s motion for a TRO against part of the official Fair Tax explanation language. The final order was released today. Excerpt…
While Plaintiffs have a clear right to a free and equal election, they have not demonstrated a clear right to corrective action on an emergency basis, for it is not patently clear the language on the ballot or pamphlet is so rnisleading that it abridges a constitutional right in need of protection. Like it or not, the proposed amendment does give the State the ability to impose higher tax rates on those with higher income levels and lower income tax rates on those with middle or lower income levels, just as the ballot describes. Plaintiffs have not shown on the clearest of grounds that this language is so misleading and confusing to give rise to a constitutional violation. Plaintiffs merely conclude and speculate that the language is deceiving and confusing to voters without any specific evidence demonstrating confusion or obstruction to a particular individual or group of voters.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
COL (IL) Jennifer Pritzker, ARNG (Ret.) has donated $500,000 to the Coalition to Stop the Proposed Tax Hike Amendment as a measure to help protect the citizens of Illinois. Jennifer Pritzker believes the proposed graduated tax will only hurt already overburdened Illinois taxpayers and removes any political barrier to impose a tax on retirement funds.
“There is evidence that the tax hike amendment could eventually raise taxes on the middle and working classes. With so many families and small businesses struggling to recover from the ravages of the pandemic, raising taxes is not a financial solution Illinoisans can afford to enact,” said Jennifer Pritzker, President and CEO of TAWANI Enterprises, President and Founder of the TAWANI Foundation and the Pritzker Military Foundation, and Founder and Chair of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library.
Now, confidential statewide coronavirus outbreak data, obtained by the Documenting COVID-19 project at the Brown Institute for Media Innovation as part of a collaboration with the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting, shows workplace, school and prison outbreaks are driving the increases – and that many of these outbreaks have never been made public.
The Illinois Department of Public Health, citing a state communicable disease code, does not release details about where many outbreaks have occurred, limiting its disclosures to long-term care and assisted living facilities. Separately, the Illinois Department of Corrections and some county health departments regularly release numbers of infected inmates and prison staff.
But the internal statewide data we obtained – prepared by the state health department and covering four different dates between July and September – gives detailed information and case counts for nearly 2,600 separate outbreaks across Illinois.
* OK, but I’m not sure they have what they think they have. For instance…
The single biggest source of coronavirus infections in Illinois are federal, state and county prisons and jails. The Cook County Jail has 1,074 positive cases, the largest count of any single outbreak.
Um, what?
* From Matt Walberg at the Cook County Sheriff’s Office…
From the moment the first positive case was identified in March, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office has been extraordinarily transparent in its reporting on the status of the outbreak and subsequent containment of COVID-19 at the Cook County Jail.
It is absolutely false that we currently have 1,074 positive cases currently. As of Monday, Oct. 12, there were 28 positive cases at the jail, with a current population of more than 5,300.
Since the first confirmed case in March to present, the cumulative number of detainees who either became positive for COVID-19 while in custody or were found to be positive as the entered the jail is 968 as of 10/8/20. (10/8 is the most recent count I have; I will get updated figures tomorrow morning, but it may not be in time for your piece.)
Our staff have worked incredibly hard to institute social distancing measures, limit unnecessary movement, educate on the use of PPE and hygiene, all of which were noted by the CDC as examples for other similar organizations to follow. But to further put the outbreak at the jail in context:
• From March 1 to Sept. 30, approximately 22,000 individuals were processed by the jail a total of 24,000 times. Of those, approximately 13,300 were admitted into custody 14,300 times. (The larger figures for each category indicate some individuals were processed/admitted multiple times.)
• Since the advent of rapid testing in late April, approximately 6 out of every 10 cases at the jail have come from newly arriving detainees.
• Nevertheless, our positivity rate has remained incredibly low to the widespread strategic testing protocols enacted by the Sheriff’s Office and our partners at Cermak Health Services, which provides all medical care for detainees including COVID-19 testing.
• This low positivity rate has continued despite the fact that our in-custody population has returned to nearly Pre-COVID levels.
• To date, Cermak staff have administered approximately 13,000 tests to detainees, nearly 80 percent of our current in-custody population has been tested, and the current rolling positivity rate is 0.9%.
These reporters never contacted our office, or apparently ever visit the COVID-19 information page updated each day on our website. If the reporters had reached out to our office prior to publishing, they would have learned that while perhaps IDPH’s data was confidential, the Sheriff’s Office has been sharing our COVID-19 data with the public and the media from the beginning.
Instead, they published an inaccurate report that ignores the incredible success we have achieved in stemming the outbreak and maintaining containment for the past five months. While other agencies have chosen to withhold timely, accurate information about COVID-19 outbreaks, the Sheriff’s Office has been open and forthcoming with its data about the pandemic. Unfortunately, this is yet another example of inaccurate, sensational reporting about COVID-19 at the Cook County Jail.
* Remember this statement by DeWitt/Piatt Bi-County Health Department Director Dave Remmert last week?…
This weekend’s mobile COVID testing site should help DeWitt County increase testing and allow the County to come off the Governor’s COVID warning list.
95 samples were taken over the weekend at the mobile testing unit at the DeWitt/Piatt Bi-County Health Department location on Revere Road in Clinton.
Results from those tests are not in yet however, the health department is reporting a large spike in cases, including multiple positive tests at Liberty Village in Clinton.
Monday, the health department reported 11 new cases in Clinton and four new cases in Piatt County, with three in Monticello and one in Mansfield. Sunday the Health Department did not issue a report. Saturday there were four new DeWitt County cases reported, all in Clinton, while there were three new Piatt County cases with three in Monticello and one each in Bement and Hammond.
Friday the health department reported three new cases in DeWitt County, all in Clinton. Piatt County reported four new cases with two in La Place and one each in Cerro Gordo and Monticello.
Thursday there were 34 new cases reported in Clinton and the health department described them as, quote - “outbreak-related”. There was also a new case in Weldon.
* Related…
* Winnebago County Board chairman candidate on COVID-19 quarantine: “It’s tough,” Chiarelli said. “I’ve been really careful going out, but during a campaign you meet a lot of people. You’re masked up, but you’re going places. At that time, that week, the restaurants and facilities were still open.”
But for the next six years of a Senate term, we think the dysfunctional Prairie State could benefit from a change to a senator who is Illinois-centric, not Washington-centric, and who would be eager to shake up the status quo here.
Yes, there’s important work to be done in Washington for the good of the country. But Illinois’ disastrous problems, which have landed the state on numerous embarrassing lists (worst managed, worst credit rating, worst unfunded pension liabilities, worst outmigration, worst corruption) should be the business of our federal elected officials, too, and especially our senators: High property taxes, unfunded pensions, a near-junk credit rating, property values that still haven’t recovered from the Great Recession compared with other states — Illinois in an outlier in nearly every category.
But Durbin demurs when asked about the general state of affairs in Illinois. He won’t criticize Democratic Party leadership, policies or House Speaker Michael Madigan’s management. Durbin says he is troubled by the unfolding corruption investigation that has, so far, ensnared numerous members of his party. But there is no sense of anger or urgency at the toll it has taken on voters’ trust toward government.
In other words, vote for Mark Curran because Madigan.
* The Trib didn’t mention any of this, but if you’d like a different view, here’s an oppo file…
Curran in June 2020 said he was “more aligned with President Trump than with any president in history.
• Curran defended Trump when the president in July 2020 proposed delaying the election.
• Curran backed Trump on other issues, including construction of a border wall and trade.
• Curran signaled support for Trump’s efforts to racially profile immigrants entering the
U.S.: “I agree with President Trump, you know, when people come from certain regions of the world, we need to vet them. … And, you know, when he says we’ve got to take a closer look at people when they come from certain countries and certain regions, he’s spot-on.”
Two days after John Lewis’ passing, Curran said he was “not much of a civil rights leader”
• At a July press conference defending a Columbus statue in Chicago, Curran went on a tangent about abortion being the number one killer of Black and Brown babies, and then argued John Lewis support of Planned Parenthood meant he was “not much of a civil rights leader.”
Curran has said he does not believe climate change is a threat to humankind and said “antifa” may be responsible for setting wildfires in the West.
• In a candidate forum in September, Curran said “there’s evidence that groups, maybe antifa, are amongst them that are lighting some of these fires” when discussing wildfires in western states and the rise of global warming.
• In his Daily Herald candidate questionnaire, Curran stated that he “[is] not convinced that climate change is currently a threat to humankind.”
Curran has opposed progressive police reform policies.
• Curran has spoken at Back the Blue rallies in Illinois that are a response to Black Lives Matter and other protests seeking remedies for racial injustice.9
• Curran called Black Lives Matter “an evil entity”: “Black Lives Matter is an evil entity. I’ve never supported Black Lives Matter. They’re in bed with the abortion industry, and defund police, and they stand for so many evil things.”10
• Curran opposed defunding police, saying, “the gangs are going to run the cities.”11
• Curran called people protesting against racial injustice “thugs”: “We’re not going to surrender the city to thugs and these violent, evil human beings – and they are evil in many circumstances.”
• Curran praised “stop and frisk” as a key tool in combatting violence in cities.
• Curran said he supported a FOP contract provision in Chicago that allowed officers to
decline to be interviewed for 24 hours after an officer-involved shooting.
• Curran said in 2010 that he was not a proponent of early release programs for prisoners: “Bottom line is, you do the crime, you do the time.”
• Curran suggested ideological differences between the political left and the political right could lead to secession of portions of the country: “We’ve seen the left in the streets. We have not seen the right. And I’ve been down to Central Illinois and Southern Illinois and spent a lot of time. And their DNA is such that they ain’t going down without a fight. So maybe secession of portions of this country is in our future. Who knows? Nobody knows. But I’m going to tell you this much. They’re not going to go quietly in the night. They’re not ready to surrender. This is their America. You know, people died for it, and their ancestors died for it. And you know, these leftists that want to destroy America - and that’s why they want open borders, because they want people who have no respect or appreciation for the heritage of this country. No. Not in our America. Not in my America. I’ll die first.” […]
Pushed for Reopening of Illinois amid Pandemic
Curran stated in a Facebook video that the coronavirus needed to “run its course and we have to let people get infected” to achieve herd immunity.
• Curran noted he was “severely asthmatic,” – but not worried about it even though he is in the “vulnerable class.”
• He also stated that Governor Pritzker, in his work to flatten the curve should “slow it down.”
• Curran said the virus will not go away until “we build up herd immunity, and enough people get the virus…ultimately, we have to let the virus run its course and we have to let people get infected.”
Curran in May 2020 spoke at a Re-Open Illinois protest where crowd members carried anti-Semitic signs, garnering condemnation from his own party leaders.
• Leaders of the Republican Party condemned the protestors who brought anti-Semitic signs. House Republican Leader Jim Durkin who called the protestors’ actions “contemptible and repugnant.”
• Leader Durkin’s spokesperson went further, saying “the reason the Republican Party has difficulties in Illinois is because of people like Mr. Curran who find time to criticize everyone but the hate-mongers and Nazi protesters he panders to.”
• In March, Curran said Illinois’ response to the pandemic had gone too far.
• Curran continued to push for reopening during summer despite the clear severity of the
pandemic.
• Curran criticized decision to cancel some high school sports in Illinois due to pandemic, saying on social media, “Death will eventually come for everyone.”
Curran said the Catholic Church had fallen short during the pandemic
● In April, Curran said the church should have found ways to have in-person mass and confessional.
● In March, the Pope said people could confess directly to God in lieu of confession: “Do what the Catechism (of the Catholic Church) says. It is very clear: If you cannot find a priest to confess to, speak directly with God, your father, and tell him the truth. Say, ‘Lord, I did this, this, this. Forgive me,’ and ask for pardon with all your heart.”
● Cardinal Cupich: As for those, including Republican Senate candidate Mark Curran, who believe the church should have found safe ways to have in-person masses, the cardinal said, “Religion is not magic where we just say prayers and think things are going to change. God gave us a brain and the gift of intelligence and we have to use it in this moment.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is dumping an Illinois official who’s under investigation for trying to force a state agency to give President Donald J. Trump a refund of more than $1 million on the property taxes he paid on his Chicago skyscraper eight years ago.
Mauro Glorioso, executive director and general counsel for the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, will be out of his job as of Thursday as the Trump case continues to cast a cloud over a state agency that’s also grappling with a backlog of about 90,000 tax cases.
The agency’s handling of Trump’s tax appeal — filed by the Chicago law firm of Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) — has been under investigation since November. That’s when an anonymous complaint was filed with the Illinois Office of the Executive Inspector General, saying Glorioso ordered the agency to approve the $1 million payout for Trump, rejecting a staff report that found no valid reason to support the refund on the tax bill for the Trump International Hotel & Tower’s hotel and commercial space. Trump’s appeal cited vacant storefronts along the Chicago River in seeking the tax cut.
Since April, Glorioso’s staff has repeatedly placed Trump’s proposed refund on PTAB’s monthly agenda — only to have the five-member board of the state agency repeatedly postpone a decision, records show.
Go read the whole thing. And try to take a deep breath before commenting, please. Actually, maybe take two. Or even three.
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin is a former prosecutor, and that outlook on life has never really left him.
He’s not big on a lot of criminal justice reforms, even standing up to his party’s president to oppose the early prison release of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He was staunchly opposed to legalizing cannabis. I’m sure that House Speaker Michael Madigan’s highly public legal troubles grate on Durkin to no end, as they would on almost any former prosecutor.
So, even though Durkin’s petition, which triggered the creation of the House Special Investigating Committee to look into the allegations against Madigan, is steeped in the politics of the moment (for the obvious campaign reasons, but also to satisfy the demands of some of his members and some major GOP campaign donors who want him to get much tougher on Madigan, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other Democrats), I would argue that his main thrust is legitimate from his own perspective.
Even if Madigan didn’t directly engage in “conduct unbecoming a legislator,” as the petition alleges, people under his control most certainly did say and do some things that, if not all illegal, are certainly distasteful and disreputable. Madigan created this environment and yet says he cannot and should not be held responsible for those acting within the confines of that environment; and refuses to cooperate with a committee that is enshrined in the very same rules that Madigan insists must be approved by his members every two years.
Leader Durkin held a press conference last week to express his outrage that the investigatory committee’s chairman, Rep. Chris Welch (D-Hillside), had delayed all future hearings until after the November election.
“Citizens of Illinois must know what the single most powerful person in the state’s role is in this scandal, this ever-growing scandal,” Durkin said. “Illinois residents deserve so much better and they deserve the truth.”
“He needs to stand up and answer those questions,” Durkin quoted Gov. J.B. Pritzker as saying about fellow Democrat Madigan, then called on Pritzker to “immediately demand those answers he has been requesting from Speaker Madigan or demand that he resign immediately.”
But Durkin’s answer to the press conference’s very first question demonstrated how the demand for Madigan’s testimony is far more about putting Madigan in a bad spot than it is about an actual investigation.
Durkin was asked: “What would the speaker say that he has not already said in writing?” a question which referred to Madigan’s long, single-spaced letter denying all allegations and explaining why he would not cooperate with the committee, which he said was nothing more than a political stunt.
“Well, based on what I know,” Durkin replied, “I think the speaker at this point, the only thing you can say is that ‘I take the Fifth Amendment.’”
“This isn’t politics,” Durkin insisted later. But the Leader’s answer gave up the ghost. He essentially admitted that this demand for testimony is about political advantage and not a search for truth. Yes, I know, it’s all so very shocking. Politics in a legislative committee during an election year? My goodness, that’s simply unprecedented.
“Remember,” Durkin told reporters, “the committee’s name is the Special Investigative Committee. The committee has a duty and an obligation to investigate.”
OK, but forcing a televised spectacle where almost everyone including Durkin himself believe that Speaker Madigan will take the Fifth would be more akin to a show trial than an actual investigative hearing. Yes, such a thing would undoubtedly be immensely satisfying for everyone who despises Madigan (and that’s a very long list), but that’s about it. Durkin is doing a good job of keeping Madigan’s name out there and putting the Democrats on defense, but don’t hose down my shoes and tell me it’s raining.
The committee’s Republicans have requested documents from ComEd specifically related to testimony by the company’s compliance officer during its last hearing. Fulfilling that request should be simple and relatively quick. Chairman Welch, on the other hand, has requested what could be thousands of documents containing correspondence between the company and just about everybody under the Illinois political sun going back years. That’s the ostensible reason for the hearing’s delay, along with the claim that Republicans are playing politics. Welch says it shouldn’t take long to fulfill his request, but I still have my doubts.
Hopefully, the Republican request can be fulfilled and the ComEd documents released soon. Maybe we can get some actual substance out of this process going forward.
Ricky Renteria is a good man. I wish him well. The Sox need an experienced manager who is ready and capable of winning a World Series. Understanding pitching is essential. A guy that blends analytics with baseball savvy is the key. A former catcher. Sounds about right. But who?
